Turkish visitor delights in Chinese hospitality

"Friendly, cozy, warm, culturally rich, historically rich, that's what comes to mind when I think of China and Chinese people," says a Turkish woman in her 50s, as she enthusiastically shows off souvenirs she bought in China to her colleagues in Istanbul.

Elif Pervane, director of corporate relations at the Turkish-Chinese Cultural Association, spoke excitedly of the colorful chopsticks, handbags, tea sets, Chinese storybooks, and jewelry and the memories behind them.

Pervane traveled to Beijing in July to attend classes at Beijing Language and Culture University for over a month to improve her Chinese. She had as much contact with the Chinese people as possible during her stay, making friends and traveling a lot.

"What impressed me most was the kindness of the Chinese people; that warmth and gratuitous benevolent feeling they have," says Pervane, showing two tea packets she received as gift from a new Chinese friend. "They act generously, without any thought of personal gain or expectation."

Before traveling to China, Pervane had many prejudices, many of which were based on false reports from some Western media. But after experiencing the culture, the daily life, and meeting the people, she saw that all were baseless.

"I thought I would find a huge air pollution problem," Pervane points out. "I didn't notice any pollution. I always had my mask in my pocket to be on the safe side; I didn't use it even once, neither in the subway nor in the open air."

She also had read some articles that the Chinese are hostile to foreigners. "This is also a completely false perception," Pervane says, noting that she established perfect friendships with many Chinese people, and they are always in contact with each other through social media.

"This intimacy touched me in today's world, where people are increasingly alienated from each other and become more lonely."

According to her, another false perception was about the food culture. "They told me that I would be hungry in China and that I should definitely take some canned food with me. That is not true. Chinese cuisine is very close to our cuisine. I ate all the Chinese delicacies comfortably," she says.

For Pervane, it is now a duty to expose such misconceptions and tell the truth to the people at home. "I have told my children not to take everything they read and hear as accurate. They should experience everything by themselves when they visit China."

During her stay, Pervane visited other cities by high-speed train whenever she had time away from her studies. She says the rail transport network is more than excellent in terms of quality and speed.

She also praises the cities for building beautiful ecological structures existing in harmony with nature.

"There was such a beautiful city structure that dates back thousands of years," Pervane spoke of Beijing in particular. "There are parks and lakes all over the city, creating spots to breathe."

After returning to Istanbul at the end of August, Pervane has already started looking for opportunities to visit China again and to tell her friends there more about the Turkish culture.